Every day hundreds of people participate in the La Orotava Nativity Scene Route – one of the most important in Canary Islands and organized by the Taoro Nativity Scene Association, with the collaboration of the City Council–, visiting the 32 nativity scenes that are distributed throughout different parts of the Villa. This activity, a benchmark in the Archipelago, can be done freely or through guided tours offered for schoolchildren and groups of citizens.
Beleneando por La Orotava is part of this project, with routes for schoolchildren, associations and groups. The school route has six stops, encourages students to observe in search of the details that each birth contains and puts into practice some of the knowledge they acquire during the itinerary. The guided tours for adults and the night tours are also coordinated jointly with the Museo de Arte Sacro El Tesoro de La Concepción.
The mayor, Francisco Linares, congratulates the Taoro Nativity Scene Association “for having rescued and promoted in the Villa the custom of making nativity scenes, an art linked to culture and religion.” In addition, it values the creation of this Nativity Scene Route, already consolidated in the municipality and one of the most important in the Canary Islands, because “it has around thirty nativity scenes in each edition and the visit of thousands of people to the municipality, which is why it favors dynamization and the local economy”.
The Taoro Nativity Scene Association received the prestigious Cittaslow international distinction, for the sake of its involvement in the dissemination of traditions and education in values, among many other aspects. In addition to the quality and participation that each edition registers, its president, Esteban García, assures that in the collective “we are proud of what we have achieved and that the work and effort, both physical and economic, that is behind it is valued. of each nativity scene.
a lot of effort
The nativity scenes show different styles, designs and material. Great creativity and meticulous craftsmanship are displayed every year. Behind each of these works there are hundreds of hours and months of altruistic work, which is compensated these days with the exciting faces of the visitors and the many congratulations.
Currently, in La Orotava work is being done to ensure that the Government of the Canary Islands recognize nativity scenes as an asset of intangible cultural interest. At the national level, the Government of Spain It has been declared a Representative Manifestation of Intangible Cultural Heritage, says the local government.
The Taoro Villa de La Orotava Nativity Scene Association was founded in 2008, and its maximum objective is to rescue, care for and promote the tradition of setting up the nativity scene every Christmas. In addition to the route, the association organizes various activities a year, highlighting the didactic part of its workshops and exhibitions.
The Ruta de los Belenes is one of the most demanded activities and a benchmark in the archipelago. It can be done freely or also through guided routes that are offered both for schoolchildren and for groups of citizens.
